DSC’S WORKER INFORMATION SYSTEM STRIKES THE RIGHT CHORD WITH INDUSTRY

Both the number and feedback of participants prove that the efficient and secure usage of SAP data in manufacturing is a burning issue

Karlsruhe, February 2022 – How can SAP data be provided best in manufacturing to ideally support the shop floor workers and processes? A question that gains in importance for the manufacturing industry, which is challenged by increasing customer expectations, quality requirements, and competitive pressure. This was illustrated by the great response to DSC’s webcast “News for shop floor users – The Worker Information System for SAP”. Far more than 100 interested persons participated in this webcast, in mid-February, to obtain first-hand information about the most recent shop floor solution by DSC Software AG. They got to know a modern, intuitive application, which provides manufacturing work centers with SAP data in an automated manner and enables shop floor workers to make direct use of this data, even without SAP knowledge. They also experienced in a live demo how the Worker Information System | WIS simplifies and speeds up many tasks.

Today, the security, efficiency, and flexibility of production are more important than ever to manufacturers of the discrete industry. A clear advantage in this context is the ability to provide an end-to-end information flow and consistent data. DSC demonstrated already in previous webcasts how easily this is possible in SAP landscapes – with Factory Control Center | FCTR: a modular software suite that integrates CAM, Tool Data Management, Tool Lifecycle Management, and the shop floor systems into the SAP-supported product development process. With their webcast on February 15, 2022, DSC as the “Companion for Integrative PLM” introduced their most recent FCTR highlight: the Worker Information System | WIS.

Precise addressing of current solution needs

Various interactive short surveys revealed why this webcast was of such great interest: 80% of the participants said that they were using SAP-based solutions in manufacturing. 39% of the surveyed participants, however, do not have a Worker Information System yet, even though most of them are planning to introduce such a system. Despite a common use of SAP solutions in manufacturing, there is still potential for optimization – especially as most participants (88%) state that their machine controls are not directly integrated in SAP. According to the webcast hosts Achim Rossel, Senior Vice President Business Development, and Georg Frey, Senior Consultant and Product Manager, this corresponds to DSCS’s insights into customer situations. They explained that the direct integration of machine controls was not that simple. “And this is exactly one of the starting points of interest of the WIS”, Rossel said. And he added: “WIS is not just a user interface, but it is able to perfectly support this kind of data exchange”.

Necessary manufacturing data available with a single click

During a live demo, DSC demonstrated the advantages of working with the mobile-ready WIS and its modern and intuitive web UI. The participants could see, among other things, how the shop floor workers, starting right from the worklist of production order operations for their machines, were able to navigate with a single click to the operation details, tool data, NC programs, and manufacturing documents, including 3D viewing. The demo also showed how the workers transferred NC programs with a single click to the machine controls. Or how easily they could confirm the finished jobs and transfer the adjusted NC programs back to the SAP system, including photos and comments. According to Rossel, responding to a participant’s question, it is the shop floor engine that controls the bidirectional communication and makes the SAP data locally available – which ensures a high performance. After answering additional questions, Rossel summarized the benefits of the Worker Information System.

Positive webcast feedback and convincing WIS

The main benefits are associated with good usability, process acceleration, and cost reduction, as well as with high transparency, which facilitates planning decisions and increases responsiveness. Besides, it is possible to adapt the WIS according to customer-specific requirements, what Frey illustrated with a customer example. Additionally, DSC continuously develops the WIS functionality, and is already preparing several new features, which Frey outlined briefly.

After about one hour of concentrated information, the participants were extremely satisfied. Their feedback included statements such as “very clear overview of the functionality”, and some participants expressed their conviction that the WIS “offers significant benefits to each enterprise” and “is the right approach”. A final short survey confirmed the positive feedback. The majority of participants voted that they could think of use cases for WIS in their company, either generally or depending on the supported scenarios.

Learn more about the Worker Information System